CEDAR CITY — The Region 9 high school cross-country season kicks off on Wednesday, as Cedar High hosts the popular “All-Comers” meet, with the girls varsity 3-mile race starting at 6 p.m. and the varsity boys event to follow at 6:45 p.m.
Following is a preview of the upcoming season based on input from each of the seven Region 9 coaches.
One year after the Utah High School Activities Association’s expansion of 4A classification created an influx of top-ranked programs in competition for the 4A state title, Region 9 is looking to rebound as a contender in the fall of 2024.
Last year, the Mountain View boys and girls teams each won the state 4A championship.
On the girls’ side, Southern Utah saw Pine View take fifth in state, followed closely by Region 9 champion Cedar taking sixth, Desert Hills seventh and Snow Canyon 10th.
Top female returners from state include Lucy Eckley of Cedar, Olivia Lay and Kendra Raiger of Desert Hills, Emmalee Williams of Pine View and Maggie Crosby of Snow Canyon.
Although Mountain View is considered to be the favorite again this year, along with Green Canyon, multiple Region 9 schools will be looking to make a strong showing among the top five.
Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, the nationally ranked Mountain View Bruins are strong favorites to repeat as state champs, although they could face some stiff competition from Southern Utah schools.
“The competition for the 4A team title looks to be pretty wide open after the graduation of many top individuals,” said Pine View head coach Dave Holt, who noted that both Pine View, which took fourth in state last year, and Desert Hills, which took fifth and won the Region 9 title, are expected to make a strong showing.
“Both teams have consistently been among the top programs in Utah for the past 15 years,” Holt noted.
“Desert Hills features a very strong senior class that has grown together through three years of running,” he said.
As for his own team, Holt noted, “The Panthers are led by senior standout Bridger Jaggi and a strong group of juniors.”
Following are previews of each of the Region 9 schools:
Pine View
“The Panthers were hit hard by the graduation of three of our top four girls,” Holt said. “However, we still look to have a strong season.”
Pine View junior Emmalee Williams is coming off a stellar track season where she was one of only three 4A girls to medal at state in all three individual distance events (Williams finished fifth in the 800 meters, sixth in the 1600 and seventh in the 3200).
“She learned a tremendous amount from the girls who have come before her in our program and has used it to really take off,” Holt said of Williams “I would expect her to be one of the favorites for not only a region title but also the state title at the end of the season.”
Joining Williams will be a strong group of younger runners, namely sphomores Vanessa Ruiz and Katie Krupp and freshmen Elin Holt and Tevye Geddes.
Holt has high hopes for the Panther boys team as well.
“We are very excited about what is happening,” he said, adding, “In the past two years, we have completely rewritten our record books on the track in every event, and we have a very deep and strong core group of runners who have been building on the energy of that success.”
Leading the way has been senior Bridger Jaggi, who has broken school records in every distance event and is one of the top 10 returning runners in all of Utah in the 800 meters (where he was the 4A state champion), the 1600 (fifth at state), and the 3200 (third at state).
“He, too, will be a contender for the region and state cross-country titles this fall,” Holt said of Jaggi.
Joining Jaggi on the Panther boys squad are juniors Trevor Prior, Jaxon Bender, Jake Saari, Carter Rimmasch, Kyle Rimmasch, Liam Wright and Ben Beitler; sophomores Brennan Heaps, Elliot Haendiges and Nate Lee; and freshman Benji Williams.
“We truly believe we can compete at the very highest level in the region, the state and even nationally,” Holt said. “We have set very high goals and have the summer to support it.”
Snow Canyon
Head coach Justin Redfearn said the Snow Canyon Warriors are “extremely excited” for the upcoming season.
“We are young on both the boys and girls teams,” Redfearn said, noting that the team has just one senior among its top projected seven runners.
Redfearn said the Snow Canyon boys will be led by senior Raymond Lilly; juniors Hunter Pratt, Brookston Shirts, Ben Judd, Treyson Jones and Dan Hafen; and sophomore Mark Crosby.
“The strength of this team will definitely be our ability to run as a pack, and I fully expect them to be ready to compete at a high level at the most important time of the year,” Redfearn added.
Meanwhile, the Snow Canyon girls are expected to be led by junior Maggie Crosby.
“She is a gifted athlete and has a fantastic work ethic, and I anticipate her being one of the top finishers in the state this year,” Redfearn said of Crosby.
Redfearn said the Warriors have 10 girls vying for the team’s top spots, including juniors Emmy Williams, Corinne Young, Emma Neumann, Sequoia Clausen and Emmry Davidson; sophomores April Nelson, Ayla Haslem and Bella Pratt; and freshmen Izzy Bulkley and Ellie Ashton.
“We are excited for the season to start and to progress towards our goals for the end of the season,” Redfearn said. “As always, Region 9 is loaded with amazing athletes and coaches. I expect our region to be well represented at the state meet in late October at Sugarhouse Park.”
Cedar
Head coach Greg Harris said Cedar High’s girls cross-country team is looking forward to defending its region title, led by the returning group of Sam Heaton, Kendee Corry and Lucy Eckley. Additionally, Harris said that freshmen Alexis Daynes, Eliza Johnson and Macie Mitchell have also been working hard and fighting for varsity positions.
Cedar boys varsity team, meanwhile, has all new faces.
“After graduating all seven of our varsity runners from last year, our top JV runners from last year have been working hard and are setting high expectations for themselves,” Harris noted. “Led by seniors Tyler Corry and Nathan Briggs, Cedar looks forward to competing and continuing Cedar’s tradition of running success.”
Desert Hills
Desert Hills head coach Logan Fielding said the Thunder girls are excited about the upcoming season, with five returning varsity runners, namely Olivia Lay, Rosalind Woolley, Kendra Raiger, Kylee McKinlay and Cassie Olsen.
“Kendra was the 2023 Region 9 cross-country champion and is now 100% fully recovered from an injury that limited her during the last track season,” Fielding said of Raiger.
Additionally, he noted. “Olivia Lay had one of the best summers ever with training and looks to be one of the top runners in the region and state this year.”
Fielding said the girls team will be looking to add depth through a group of promising underclassmen, including a handful of freshmen who are expected to make an impact.
“The girls are looking to compete for the Region 9 title and also be a strong contender for the top five as a team in the state,” Fielding added.
Meanwhile, the Desert Hills boys also had a strong summer of training, Fielding said.
“The boys’ mentality since the start of the summer has been team, team, team,” he said. “The overall focus is making everyone around each other better.”
Leading the way is a strong group of seniors who have been in the program for four years together, namely Logan Boyer, Tucker Larsen, George Watkins, Jack Wells, Luke Petersen, Jack Heideman and Sam Stouffer.
Additionally, the Thunder underclassmen include juniors Austin Hatch, Matthew Bleak, and Elijah Morgan; and sophomores Jackson Mathews and Travis Carpenter.
“Many of the underclassmen continue to improve and we will see how the season unfolds,” Fielding said. “The boys are looking to repeat as Region 9 champions this year and also compete much stronger than last for the state championship.”
Hurricane
The Hurricane boys are improving in experience and depth, according to head coach Philip Armstrong. Currently, the Tigers’ top seven runners are seniors Jarren Ence and Abraham Amy; juniors Liam Armstrong, Isaac LeBaron, Jorel Nugent and Trevor Wilcox; and sophomore Karter Holt.
“The Hurricane boys have a solid foundation this year and are running well as a pack,” Armstrong said. “Look for them to start finishing in the top tier of meets.”
Armstrong said the Hurricane girls team, which is increasing in both numbers and strength, is expected to be led by senior Sophie Robinson.
“We have some new talent coming onboard that will strengthen that team, namely Emmy Albrecht, Grace Anderson, Arya Armstrong and Bailey Fowler,” Armstrong said, adding that other runners expected to contribute include Tatiana Melton, Emily Lisonbee, Emily Lundstrom and Kaia Goulding.
Crimson Cliffs
According to head coach Ceal Muldoon, the Crimson Cliffs boys team finished 11th in state last fall, while the Mustang girls took 16th.
“The boys will be returning six out of the seven of their varsity runners from last season, with a few new additions,” Muldoon said, specifically mentioning sophomore Mason Gertsch, who led the team last year with an overall 25th-place finish at state as a freshman.
Meanwhile, the Mustang girls will have all of their top varsity runners back, as they were all underclassmen last year, including four freshmen.
“With last season’s experience, both teams will be coming into this season much stronger and will aim to place higher in the state this season,” Muldoon said.
Dixie
Head coach Paul Durrant said the Dixie girls team will have five returning seniors with varsity experience, namely Hailey Clove, Rachel Walker, Latizia Carter, Maisey Thompson and Cali Martin.
Meanwhile, he noted, “The boys’ side is young, but they are led by a couple of returning varsity seniors, Ethan Jepsen and Ryker McGuire.”
“Overall, the team is excited to continue developing the next group of young Dixie runners,” Durrant added.
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